Green Means Go
by mkdreamer
Summary: When Jamie's grandfather gives her motorcycle away to a stranger, she is determined to get it back. She doesn't realize what dangers await her in doing so.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! This is my first fanfic on here, so be sure to read and enjoy!**

**I do not own the Avengers characters.**

**Reviews would be absolutely fantastic! :D Enjoy!**

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Chapter One

"What do you mean you gave it away?!" Jamie gaped at her grandfather as if he had just hatched from an egg.

"Well now, Eddy wasn't going to need it nomore, was he?" Her grandfather scratched his graying head, and made a point to avoid eye contact.

"But I talked to Mom, and she said that I could have it!" Jamie couldn't believe her bad luck. "And you gave it to some random guy you don't even know?"

"He looked like he needed some kindness, dear, and I gave it to him. Shoulda seen the shape he was in when I found him."

"Grandpa…" Jamie groaned. She felt close to tears. "I've always wanted Eddy's motorcycle, and just because he can't have it anymore doesn't mean you had to get rid of it!"

"Well, dear…" Her grandpa swiped at his forehead. "I guess you'll have to find that young fella and ask him for the bike back."

"But I don't even know what he LOOKS like, or where he is, or-"

"Sorry, hun, but that's just something you're going to have to figure out on your own. He didn't leave very long ago- maybe ten minutes. He went downtown. And-" he shook his head with a quiet smile. "When he's green, you won't miss him."

"Green?"

He continued to smile quietly. Jamie grew frustrated and groaned. "This isn't _fair!" _

"He might have needed that bike more than you do, pumpkin."

"But you didn't even…. Didn't even charge him anything! Didn't make a buck off him!"

He shrugged. "Didn't feel the need to. Now, I need to get back to work, honey. Sorry about your bike."

Jamie walked away ready to scream at the heavens. Why would he just give away her bike? Mom had only given it to him to hold on to for the time being. Especially after her brother Eddy had… Well. They didn't like to talk about that.

Maybe it wouldn't hurt to stroll around New York. She knew the license plate number, anyways. If she found the motorcycle, which really wasn't likely, she would talk to the man who took it and see if they could negotiate.

However, as she was nearing New York City, she noticed that something was wrong. Horribly wrong. A strange light was spilling out of the sky in a pillar, and things were swarming around it like overly large flies. Was it some form of entertainment? An air show? She didn't know of any aircraft quite that small.

The traffic had stopped completely. People were getting out of their cars and pointing. There was no way the man who had stolen her motorcycle could have gotten very far in this kind of traffic in ten minutes.

There was a knock on her window. Jamie rolled it down to reveal a terrified-looking man in a business suit and glasses that perched on his nose crookedly. "Yeah?"

"The city's under attack! They want everyone to evacuate! Leave your car, we're heading up the interstate."

Jamie stared at him for a long moment with a frown, not understanding. "Attack? But I don't-"

"There's no time- Get out of your car!" Before she could protest, he moved on to the car behind her.

She sat there gazing at the strange buzzing things. Who was attacking them? Why? Well. If everyone was leaving their vehicles behind, she might be able to find her motorcycle. She wouldn't be able to get it out of this jam, but maybe she could leave a note saying to return it to her? Call her?

Careful not to hit any of the people running past, she got out of her car and began fighting against the crowd. Frantic voices called family and friends on their phones, telling them what was going on. The panic was starting to get to Jamie, and she began to question whether finding the motorcycle was a priority right now.

But he could be just up the road, and if she didn't find it now, she probably never would. Owning her own motorcycle had always been a dream of hers, a dream that had finally been attainable. The frustration of losing that opportunity because of her overly charitable grandfather had almost been enough to suffocate her. She wasn't just going to abandon her motorcycle, not when it could be so close…

Yet the further she pushed past the crowd, the more discouraged she became. She wasn't seeing it anywhere. And the people passing her were starting to make her angry. They pushed and shoved and growled, "What the hell are you doing, girl? You're going the wrong way!"

She would soon be in the city, and there was no sign of the motorcycle. Maybe the man hadn't come this way after all. The stream of people became thicker, and she was just about to turn around when she hear a roar of screams and the sound of glass shattering.

Turning back, she had to blink several times to be sure she wasn't seeing things. A monstrous… _thing _was floating through the air, and had just hit the side of one of the tallest buildings, making shards of glass rain down the streets below. A streak of light flashed past it, throwing the sun in her eyes. She had to turn away with the glare, and when she looked back, the darting thing was gone.

What on earth was going on?

She wasn't about to stay and find out. Finally, she relented. She'd just have to save up to buy herself a motorcycle. Someday. It wasn't worth her life.

Suddenly, the car next to her exploded. She had to dive out of the way and on top of other people to avoid getting hit by the flying material. Struggling to get off the ground, she looked up to see a strange aircraft hovering above her. It was smaller than a car, and some… creature thing was riding it.

No. It couldn't be.

…Aliens?

What, was she suddenly in some kind of scifi movie now?

Her ears were ringing with the screams of the people around her. Only when she closed her mouth did she realize that she had been screaming right along with them. More cars were being shot at. Trying to think of how best to preserve herself, Jamie rolled under a car and curled into a tight ball, wishing the nightmare away.

With a thunderous crack, the ground suddenly began moving beneath her. No way. They did _not _just shoot down the supports under the interstate bridge. She felt herself and everything else start to slide back. She was going to slide down to her death. The cars and people would tumble on top of her until she was crushed to death.

No, she thought. This was not acceptable.

Rolling back out from under the car, she scrambled to her feet, and ran in the direction of the city, working her legs against the steepening incline and trying to ignore the people who fell around her. Soon she had to crawl, but she made it to the safe part of the road that hadn't snapped.

She lay curled there for a moment, panting for breath, but had to quickly get back on her feet when she heard more shooting. People all around her were running back to the city. The interstate was no longer an option. They were vulnerable there. At least in the city they could probably hide.

Tripping her way past cars only inches apart and other people's bodies, she made her way as fast as she could to what she thought would be her best chance of safety.

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**...To be continued.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright, here's chapter two for you guys! **

**Again, I do not own the Avengers.**

**Enjoy, and let me know what you think! Feedback would be appreciated! :)**

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Chapter Two

The further inside the city she ran, the more destruction she saw. It was terrifying. She wasn't quite sure if it was real or if she was in some messed up dream.

All thoughts of the beloved motorcycle that had meant so much to her vanished as she ducked behind overturned taxis and attempted to avoid running into people. All was chaos.

She desperately hoped she didn't stumbled upon any dead bodies, and got sick to her stomach at the very thought.

The streak of red and gold light flickered across the sky again. Her mind scrambled to think of what it could be. Bombs the aliens were sending down on them?

Jamie caught a glimpse of her reflection as she ran down the sidewalk in an attempt to find someplace safe to hide. Her dark hair that had been pulled back in a pony tail had come loose and strands of it hung limply around her face, which was smeared with dirt and scrapes. She looked mad with fright, and her clothes had torn in some places.

"Hey lady!" a voice hissed at her.

Jamie turned, trying to find the source of the voice. She spotted a young man in an apron who looked like he was from Jamaica gesturing at her to come his way.

"Over here!"

Jamie quickly jogged to him, and he grabbed her arm, pulling her into the door at the side of the building. "What's going on?" she whispered hoarsely.

"I don't know. But we've been gathering in the basement. Come."

He led her to another door, which revealed stairs leading to what looked like a storage area.

"Down there. I'll stay up here and watch for more people."

"Thank you," she breathed as she made her way down the dimly lit stairs. Below, there was hardly any room to breathe. People were packed together like a can of sardines, murmuring quietly to each other.

Jamie quietly found a little corner by a shelf of flour to curl up in. She tried to get her breathing under control. New York City was actually being attacked. By aliens. People were dying out there.

She remembered the frustrated mood she had been in when she left her grandfather, and felt ashamed. What if that was the last time she ever got to speak to him again? Hot tears burned her eyes at the thought, but she fought down the growing panic. No, she was not going to die. She was safe down here, with all these people.

Suddenly there was a chorus of screams from up above. Everyone in the cellar grew deathly quiet as they listened in terror. Then, the door upstairs was thrown open and the Jamaican nearly tripped down the stairs.

"What's going on?"

"Are they here?

"Will they find us?"

Question after terrified question was shot at the Jamaican. He shook his head, and was about to speak when there was a crash from upstairs and the sound of glass shattering.

"They're in the store," the Jamaican choked. He said it so quietly that only a few people heard, but his words spread like wildfire.

"They're in the store, they're in the store!"

There were several hisses for everyone to be quiet.

In silence, they all listened. Jamie strained her ears for any sound of an alien breaking through the floorboards or blasting the door open.

There was an explosion, and several pieces of the ceiling crumbled down into the crowd. People ducked their heads to avoid the rubble that was suddenly raining down on them.

Without warning, the entire building began to shake.

"We need to get out or we'll be crushed!" the Jamaican shouted. There was a crushing mass of people suddenly clambering over each other to get to the stairs. Jamie tried desperately to push past the crowd herself, but when she saw a woman holding a whimpering baby in her arms, she decided it wasn't worth it. She would let the people go before her.

And if the ceiling fell on top of her….

Well, at least she gave some other people a chance.

Bigger pieces of the ceiling fell, and Jamie ducked her head and shielded it with her arms in an effort to protect herself. Something heavy hit her elbow, and she collapsed to the ground, crouching forward as more and more of the ceiling gave way on top of her.

Someone grasped her wrist and pulled her up. "You can't stay down there!" she yelled. "Let's go!"

Jamie was finally able to make it to the stairs, but the people were moving so slow! She would never make it to the top in time.

When she finally did, she had to climb over more fallen boards and rubble that had fallen in the destruction of the building. But before long she was stumbling out into the sunlight with the rest of the people, blinking rapidly against the bright light.

Her eyes adjusted, and her heart leapt into her throat.

They were surrounded.

The aliens had smoked them out, then waited outside the building to shoot them all. These things were smarter that Jamie would have given them credit for. People were screaming, huddling together in a desperate attempt to avoid being pointed at with those strange glowing weapons.

They were dead. They were all so dead. That's all Jamie could think as she stared, frozen in shock, at the aliens both hovering on their strange vehicles and stalking them all on the ground.

Before a single shot was fired, however, something golden and red flashed in front of them. The light reflected off the metal and blinded Jamie.

Suddenly connections were made. The streak of light she kept seeing.

…Was this Iron Man?

The aliens exploded into bits as the metal man shot at them, zooming back and forth above them all. Then a great shadow was cast on all of them as one of those monstrous flying things floated above them like a giant fish in the air. And something was clinging to it.

Something green.

Jamie's eyes widened as she watched a green monster rippling with muscles clamber all over that thing, ripping at its armor and flinging it to and fro. More aliens spilled out of its sides and landed on the ground. Iron Man shot at them desperately, but there were so many of them.

They were still all going to die.

Why hadn't she just forgotten about the motorcycle and asked her grandpa if he wanted to go fishing? They hadn't done that in years.

Jamie ducked back into the ruined building and laid flat on the floor under the window, laying on broken bits of glass.. If she couldn't see them, they couldn't see her, right?

There was a huge crashing sound that seemed to shake the entire earth. It was like a skyscraper had fallen on top of another. At this rate she wouldn't be surprised.

She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to block out the sounds of screaming, wailing sirens, and guns shooting.

This couldn't be happening to her.

Not Jamie Franklin, whose boring, ordinary life of twenty-two years now seemed so far away.

She didn't know how long she lay there, curled in the fatal position, but when the terrible noises died down, she peeked her head up. Slowly, she uncurled herself, her tight muscles aching as she stretched them out.

The glass had cut her in multiple places, but not too deeply. She lightly touched the sticky, drying blood, and told herself she'd worry about it later. Standing, she was almost shocked at how silent things had become.

Carefully, she stepped out of the ruined building. The street was empty. Where had everyone gone? Where were the aliens?

She wandered down the street in a haze, then turned a corner.

The city was a mess. Destruction was everywhere. She didn't even want to think about how long it would take to clean all of it up.

Casting her eyes to the sky, she froze in her spot and stared in amazement.

There was a hole in it.

The entire universe was sitting up there, too large for her comprehension.

Something was shooting towards the open space at a high speed. It gleamed. Was that Iron Man again?

Jamie watched, transfixed, as the gleaming object disappeared into the gap in the sky.

There was a loud humming sound behind her. She turned.

And screamed.

An alien hovered only a few yards away from her. With her scream, it lifted its weapon and pointed it right at her.

Not knowing what else to do, Jamie ducked, her arms wrapped tightly around her head.

Something clattered violently on the ground, and she flinched, thinking she had just been shot. In the distance, she hear a loud roar. Not a scary one. It was the roar of people cheering.

Her eyes had been squeezed shut. Now, they opened. The alien and its hovering craft both lay motionless on the ground. Glancing up, she found that the gap in the sky had disappeared.

Was that it? Was it over?

Jamie straightened. A rush of overwhelming relief cleared the nightmarish fog in her mind.

"Yes!" she yelled, and fist pumped the air.

Before long she found crowds of people. They were hugging and kissing, and shedding tears of joy. Or maybe there were some sorrowful tears in there as well. Jamie didn't want to think about all the casualties this could have caused.

Seeing all the people made Jamie realize that her family might be worried sick about her. She pulled out her phone and dialed her grandfather's number, but the service lines were down. She hoped they wouldn't worry too much.

The next step was finding her car and getting home, then.

It was easier said than done.

She was lucky she knew the city well- she had to take so many detours that she began losing hope of ever being able to get out of there before the day was over.

There were news reporters everywhere- she had to duck away from them several times to avoid being sucked into their nosey questions. She didn't feel like being on camera in the shape she was in anyway.

She turned a corner to take yet another detour and saw someone sitting dejectedly on the curb of the street, right in front of Shawarma's, head down. To her surprise, she (or was it a he?) was chained to a light post that miraculously hadn't fallen. As she carefully approached, he (it _was _a he!) lifted his head, and his long dark hair moved to reveal his face.

He looked pretty beat up, which wasn't too surprising. He was wearing some sort of costume- was he in the middle of a play or something when they were attacked? And why was he chained up?

What disturbed her the most was that he had a metal clamp around his mouth.

His eyes flickered up at her, and were filled with a sadness she felt she could never comprehend.

She couldn't help it.

Jamie approached the man cautiously. He watched her like a wounded dog.

"Why… Why are you chained up?" she whispered.

His eyes didn't leave hers. His thin dark eyebrows pulled up and came together, increasing the empathy Jamie held for him.

She drew closer to him, and to her surprise, he held out his hand, palm upwards.

Frowning in concern, Jamie took it. He clasped her hand tightly, then set his other hand on top, trapping her hand in his grip. He closed his eyes.

Jamie yelped as _something- _a presence, a force, _something- _pried around in her mind, making her vision flicker in and out until she felt the something settle itself somewhere in her mind.

_Jamie Franklin._

The voice was crystal clear, male, and beautiful.

And it was coming from inside her head, like she had earplugs in- but deeper inside her ears. Right up to her brain, in fact.

Jamie tore away from the man's grip with a gasp.

His green eyes glimmered in a smirk that hadn't been there before.

She turned on her heel and ran.

But she couldn't ignore the something in her mind rustling in amusement.

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**I think Loki plays tricks on all our minds... I mean seriously, he's got quite a fangirl army! Can't wait for you guys to see what's in store for Jamie! Mwahaha x)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Aaaaaand here's chapter three! **

**Still don't own anything!**

**Reviews would be oh so spectacular! :)**

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Chapter Three

Even as she ran away from him, she still felt the presence in her mind, nestling in deeper, growing more comfortable in her mind. What was this- this alien presence in her brain?

It didn't speak again until she had finally sunk into her own bed that night, exhausted. She wanted nothing more than to sleep, but behind her lids she could see flashes of light as aliens shot at people, and she could almost hear the terrified screams. And then there was that hole in the sky- it would be plastered in her memory like a large billboard for the rest of her life.

Just as she felt herself begin to relax and let her mind settle, the presence stirred, nudging her back awake.

_Jamie?_

It was that voice again. That beautiful, but alien voice. She lay frozen, unsure of what to do.

_It's alright, Jamie. You're safe. The Chitauri have been destroyed, and you are no longer in harm's way._

How did he know that was the reason she couldn't sleep?

_I live in your mind now, Jamie. I can hear your thoughts, see your memories._

This was beyond weird.

"Okay, well can you get out my head?" she whispered hoarsely into the darkness. "For one, it's creepy. For another, I'm trying to sleep."

There was a low chuckle that seemed to vibrate inside her head slightly. _Oh, I won't be leaving for quite a while, darling._

Jamie suddenly felt too hot. She could feel herself starting to break out into a sweat, and her anxiety spiked. "Who are you?" she whispered.

_Think of me as your guardian angel._ The voice was nearly purring, soothing. _Now relax. Nothing will harm you. I've disturbed your sleep, and for that I am deeply sorry. Goodnight, Jamie Franklin._

The presence curled in on itself then, like a snake, and became small but noticeable, like a pebble in your shoe.

There was no way Jamie was ever getting to sleep now.

The memory of the man all chained up on the curb was vivid in her mind. Hadn't he been the one who gave her this voice? Who was he? Was the voice his?

_Listen to me, _she thought with a bitter sense of humor. There was no voice in her head now. Sure, there was still that _something _in there, but she wasn't hearing any more voices. Perhaps she just imagined the whole thing.

Was she going insane? Would she have to see a psychologist? Would they send her to an insane asylum?

Needless to say she got very little sleep that night, and when she did, she dreamed restlessly of aliens and holes in the sky and that voice, always mumbling things she couldn't understand.

The next day he didn't emerge from his little corner in her mind very often. Because most everything was closed down because of the Chitauri attack, she didn't have to go to work. And because her family had been so worried about her before, she spent the entire day with them. Even Eddy made an effort to converse with her, which normally didn't happen. Not anymore.

Jamie and Eddy had grown up very close siblings. But as time went on, and as she graduated from high school, he started falling into the habit of making bad choices. Before long, he was buying and selling drugs to his classmates, and skipping school without telling their parents. The distance between them grew the more he disappointed her and her parents.

The voice inside her head took notice.

_Why are you and your brother so distant?_

Jamie shrugged, even though she knew she didn't need to and probably just looked like an idiot shrugging when no one was talking to her. Memories of her mom crying and her dad scolding harshly flooded into her mind, and the voice had his answer.

_But you can forgive him, can't you?_

_Maybe, _she thought, _but I'm not ready to yet. He gave us too much pain._

The voice grew quiet, then, almost faintly, said, _Maybe you're giving him pain by not forgiving him. _

_ Look, it's not your business, okay?_

Jamie didn't mean to snap, but this thing didn't have a right to invade her feelings like that.

He was quiet for the rest of the day, and didn't speak until she finally told her family she was going to bed. They had turned on the news, which was still covering the New York tragedy, and Jamie didn't feel like watching it.

_They were very worried about you, _the voice observed.

"Yeah," she whispered. "But it's all good now."

_Are you sure? Will you be alright?_

She could feel the concern in his voice, and she softened towards him. Much as she was still weirded out by the voice in her head, she felt almost calmer. She felt like she had a friend. Someone to talk to. Her family was doing the best they could, but somehow their hovering made her chest tighten, and she felt that she needed space. The voice gave her that space when she wanted it, and when he talked to her it was gently.

_I don't know, _she thought. _What do you think?_

It took a moment to respond. Then, _What you went through was traumatic. But yes, with time, you will be fine. That's why I'm here. To help you get through this._

Jamie could almost imagine the comforting smile she felt as the voice said this.

"Thanks," she whispered aloud. _But… who exactly are you?_

_ Like I said before- your guardian angel. I'm here to comfort you, to give you advice, and help you through this time of trouble. If you ever need anything, I'll be here._

Jamie felt a wave of comfort at his very words. Maybe it wasn't so bad to have this weird voice in her head. Especially if it was so kind and caring.

She still couldn't sleep that night. The voice murmured soothing words, and even began to sing softly in a wonderful, soft voice that instantly made her eyelids droop.

_Do you have a name? _she wondered.

The singing faded, and she was answered with, _Names do not matter. I know yours, and you know me only as your guardian and comforter. Call me whatever you like._

Names instantly popped up in her mind, and she felt the voice cringe slightly in her mind.

_But not those, _it said.

Jamie actually laughed out loud, then put her hands around her mouth to stifle it. _To be honest, this is making me think of Phantom of the Opera, _she thought.

_Phantom of the Opera?_

_ Yeah. You haven't heard of it? Well, the main character, Christine, was promised by her father before he died that he would send her the Angel of Music. When she moved to the Paris Opera House, a voice began to teach her to sing. She always assumed it was her Angel of Music, but really it was the phantom, trying to get close to her._

_ Does this phantom have a name?_

_ Erik. _The name came quickly to her mind. She remembered how weird it seemed that the phantom had such a normal name when he was feared by so many.

_Then I will be your Erik._

Jamie smiled. Erik. She'd always loved the sound of it, and the name perfectly fit the beautiful voice inside her head.

_You are pleased, _the voice remarked.

She was.

_So… do other people get voices like yours in their head when they've gone through something traumatic?_ She asked out of curiosity. Maybe he was part of a system of angels whose jobs it was to comfort people. But she'd never really heard of anyone else experiencing what she was.

_Perhaps _was the only reply she got.

Before she even realized it, she was asleep.

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The next morning, Jamie was in a much happier mood.

_Good morning! _she announced once she was awake.

She was rewarded with a glowing reply from inside her head.

Today she was going to her grandpa's. She wanted to apologize for how she had treated him about the motorcycle, which seemed like such a trivial problem now.

On the way over, she told Erik, as she fondly called him now, all about her grandfather and about how guilty she had felt after getting frustrated with him about the motorcycle.

_Your frustrations were understandable, _he remarked pleasantly. _And you're going to make it right. Don't feel guilty._

Jamie sighed. "Okay," she said aloud. "But I still won't feel better until after I talk to him."

_Of course._

"We're here!"

Her grandfather lived in the middle of nowhere, and was usually found inside his shed tinkering around when he wasn't on duty. Jamie pulled up to the drive, and headed straight for the large shed. It used to be a separate garage until he had built one that attached to the house, so it still had a garage door on it, which was open. It was a sure sign that he was in there somewhere.

_I think you'll really like my grandpa, _Jamie thought cheerfully as she stepped inside.

_I'm sure he's nothing short of-_

And then he was gone. Cut off. The little seed of a presence was no longer in her mind, or it had become absolutely numb to her senses. The shock was almost as great as when it first appeared there. After being so used to it, she felt as if there was a blank spot where it used to nestle.

She stopped abruptly, blinking rapidly in surprise at Erik's sudden disappearance.

Her grandfather was talking to someone. When he saw her, he beamed and slapped the man with him on the back.

"Jamie! I'd like you to meet Bruce Banner."

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**To be continued! Hopefully I won't keep you guys waiting too long!**


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